Explanation:
Said of someone's words or action
conflict, one who can not justify
himself.

Tone: negative

The Story: Once upon a time,
there was a man who wanted to sell
his spear and shield. He held the
spear and said, "My spear is the sharpest
one in the world, and it can thrust
through any shield no matter how firm
the shield is." Then he pointed at
his shield and shouted: "It is the
firmest, soundest, strongest shield
in the world; no spear can thrust
through it regardless of how sharp
it is."

When onlookers heard this, they couldn't
help laughing at him. One of them
asked: "You said your spear is the
sharpest and your shield is the firmest.
How about thrusting your spear through
your shield. What will happen then,
eh?"

Usage Example (English translation):
He must be a cheat as his words are just
like using his spear to thrust his own
shield.

Note: The spoken Chinese Mandarin
language has 4 spoken tones. We have
attempted to re-create those above
where after each syllable we tell
you (1), (2), (3), or (4) as they
correspond to each of the 4 tones.
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